BlackBerry Q10 launch in the US set for mid-May to early June

Things you might also like

Some BlackBerry 10 hopefuls in the US are waiting to get their hands on the BlackBerry Z10 in March, and others are waiting on the Qwerty BlackBerry Q10. Until now, a specific time frame for the Q10's launch hasn't been detailed stateside, and according to BlackBerry's CEO Thorsten Heins, prospective Q10 customers will have to play the waiting game.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Heins said the handsets' release would depend on the carriers. Currently the Z10 is set to launch on Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile in March.

As for the BlackBerry Q10, it will launch in the US eight to ten weeks after the Z10's release. Given the Z10 is set for March, this puts the Q10's potential release date in mid-May or early June.

In the UK, there is a bit of a similar situation. The BlackBerry Q10 is set to go on sale in April. This is certainly disappointing for those who wanted to use BlackBerry 10 with a little dose of Qwerty.

Currently available in the UK and Canada, BlackBerry managing director Stephen Bates revealed that the BlackBerry Z10 has been selling better than expected. Peter Misek, an analyst from Jefferies, indicated similar earlier this month. "Our initial checks indicate that sales in the UK are off to a strong start," he said.

It's not clear why the Q10 is seeing a later launch than the Z10, but it may be boiled down to optimising apps. BlackBerry announced it will let developers apply for a developer version of the BlackBerry Q10 ahead of its launch later in the year so they can get on with developing apps for the yet to be released BB10 smartphone.